Luke 1:26-30
Luke 1:26 (KJB)
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of
Galilee, named Nazareth,
Gabriel’s task was not finished yet because six months after he made the
announcement to Zacharias, he now goes to the city of Nazareth in Galilee. This
time he had the privilege of announcing the birth of a baby which was far more
significant than that of John. He was about to announce to Mary that the Messiah
was about to be born and she was going to be the one whom the Lord had chosen to
bear him. Jesus was the only one among the entire human race who was able to
choose his mother. Think about it!
Luke 1:27 (KJB)
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and
the virgin's name was Mary.
Gabriel went right from the throne of God to Nazareth to the house of Mary. Mary
was espoused to Joseph who was a carpenter. In ancient Israel, being espoused or
betrothed was as binding as if the couple was already married. The Messiah was
to be of the house of David, called “the Son of David.” (Mark 10:47 KJV) And
when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say,
Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. Joseph was in the lineage of
David and so was Mary, who was of the tribe of Judah, which would have been a
total fulfillment of the prophecy that the Messiah would be the son of David.
(Mat 2:5-6 KJV) And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it
is written by the prophet, {6} And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not
the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that
shall rule my people Israel. The name “Mary” comes from the Hebrew “Marah”
which means “bitter”, not in attitude but in suffering in life’s experiences.
Luke 1:28 (KJB)
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured,
the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
When Gabriel first saw Mary, he greeted her with the word “hail” which carries
with it the meaning of “Greetings, good day, rejoice.” Then he says to her that
she is highly favored among women. The Greek word behind “highly favoured”
carries with it the meaning of “one who has God’s favor.” He also assured her
that the Lord was with her and this was a visit from an angel dispatched by the
Lord Himself. Every Jewish woman had hoped and prayed that she would be the one
who would carry and give birth to the Messiah. Here Gabriel is attesting to the
fact that Mary was the chosen vessel and that she was blessed among all women.
The word behind “blessing” can also mean happy but there is a difference between
a blessing and being happy. A blessing is a divine intervention by God which may
result in happiness. Mary was blessed because God chose her to carry the
Messiah.
Luke 1:29 (KJB)
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what
manner of salutation this should be.
Mary was probably only about 16 years old at this time so she was not sure what
all of this meant. The text indicates that she was thoroughly confused at this
time which caused her to be troubled in her heart. She had pondered in her heart
what all of this meant which means that she was in full control of her emotions
and was thinking of this. The prophecy of the coming of the Messiah was well
known to every Jew and she probably figured that she would be the last one that
God would use to bring Him into the world. Since she was a poor girl betrothed
to a poor carpenter in a remote village, it would not be hard to understand why
she was shocked at all this.
Luke 1:30 (KJB)
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with
God.
As Mary was pondering the salutation, Gabriel once again commands her not to
fear because all that is happening to her is within the fact that she has found
favor with God. What was about to happen has all been orchestrated by God.
Gabriel calls her by name showing familiarity with her.